Meet Grant – The Only Human Designed To Survive A Career In Advertising

What if none of us were indeed designed to survive the trauma of a career in advertising? None of us, except him: Meet Grant.

Maybe you remember “Meet Graham,” the “mother” of all road-safety campaigns from Australia that dominated at the award shows in 2017. Graham was a life-size model of what us humans would look like if our bodies evolved to withstand road crashes. More than an instant success, Graham had become a symbol.

But there is another trauma for which mankind is not yet ready: a career in advertising.

“Meet Grant” is a perfectly executed parody created by Cummings & Partners to promote Melbourne’s MADC award shows in November.

Grant is the evolution of the ad man. He has ears that filter out conflicting opinions, thick skin to deflect scathing comments on campaign briefs, an auxiliary liver to process all the alcohol, smaller genitals to give him something to compensate form and, most important, a completely removable spine for client meetings.

Oh, and of course, Grant is a white male. (Probably christian and heterosexual too…)

You will have understood it, “Meet Grant” is not just a parody. The campaign is also a strong message to our industry. We need to evolve, but not as human beings, rather our industry as a whole needs to change. Better work requires more respect for ourselves and what we can create all together.

Now that you’re here, I’m sure you will also very much enjoy one of history’s best parody of what we all know as: The Pitch. Thank you SNL.